McGriff honored, thrilled with Hall of Fame election
The Crime Dog answered the call from Cooperstown.
The lanky Fred McGriff, a sweet swinging lefty slugger who totaled nearly 500 home runs in a legendary career, was the lone player elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, Dec. 4. One of eight candidates the 16-member Contemporary Baseball Players Committee considered, McGriff was a unanimous selection.
In making the announcement live on MLB Network, Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch read off a list of accomplishments before ending with, “Fred McGriff, welcome to Cooperstown.”
During a Zoom call with reporters after learning of his election, a smiling and relieved McGriff said, “What an honor. I’ve been blessed my whole life and I continue to be blessed. I was quite honored to be elected into the Hall of Fame.
“I want to thank the committee. I know it's tough to decide, to know who to vote for and who not to vote for, so it's a great honor to be unanimously voted in.”
The Contemporary Baseball Players Committee, which held its meeting in San Diego, Calif., considered a ballot of eight candidates whose most significant career impact was realized from 1980 through the present.
The results of the 2023 Baseball Writers’ Association of America election will be announced on January 24 live from Cooperstown at 6 p.m. ET. The 2023 Induction Weekend is scheduled for July 21-24, with the Induction Ceremony on July 23.
McGriff was named on all 16 ballots as the only candidate to reach the 75-percent threshold necessary for election. Results of the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Ballot: Fred McGriff (16 votes, 100.0%); Don Mattingly (8 votes, 50%); Curt Schilling (7 votes, 43.8%); Dale Murphy (6 votes, 37.5%); Albert Belle, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Rafael Palmeiro each received less than four votes.
The 16-member Hall of Fame Board-appointed electorate charged with the review of the Contemporary Baseball Players Era ballot was comprised of Hall of Fame members Greg Maddux, Jack Morris, Ryne Sandberg, Lee Smith, Frank Thomas and Alan Trammell; major league executives Paul Beeston, Theo Epstein, Derrick Hall, Arte Moreno, Kim Ng, Dave St. Peter and Ken Williams; and veteran media members/historians Steve Hirdt, LaVelle Neal and Susan Slusser.
Bill Francis is the senior research and writing specialist at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum